Hydrocarbon lighting system.



No. 737,708. PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1903.

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HYDROGARBON LIGHTING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1903.

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HYDROCARBON LIGHTING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1903.

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PATENT OFFICE.

HYDROCARBON LIGHTING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,708, dated September 1, 1903.

Application filed April 21, 1903- Serial No. 153,689. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT D. CODY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Hydrocarbon Lighting Systems; andI do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to hydrocarbon lighting systems; and its object is, first, to maintain a supply of gas under pressure after it has passed through the retort preparatory to entering the mixing-chamber in order to secure steadiness of flame; secondly, to maintain a supply of hot gas and a pilot-light ready for starting the main light when desired; thirdly, to provide gasolene under pressure for maintaining a subflame and a pilotlight or a main light during the operation of filling the main supply-tank.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a hydrocarbon lighting system hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure I is a front view of a lamp forming a portion of my'hydrocarbon lighting system. Fig. II is a side view of the same lamp. Fig.

III is a top view of the gas-chamber for the subflame. Fig. IV is a side elevation of a lamp, partly in vertical section, the sections being taken empirically to show the circulation. Fig. V represents the mainoil-tank and my auxiliary oil-tank, part in vertical section and part in side elevation.

Numeral 1 represents the body of the lamp. This is usually made of cast metal and is of sufficient thickness to require a considerable time to heat it through in service and a considerable time forit to cool off after the light is extinguished. V

2 2 represent the main burners, located upon tubes 2 2', which are formed as portions of the body 1, and in connection therewith they inclose the main gas-chamber 3.

4 represents the main mixing chamber, which opens at one end into the gas-chamber 3, and at the other'end it is opento the air.

5 represents a pipe-nozzle provided with a fine opening located directly opposite to the open end of the mixing-chamber 4 and directed centrally in line thereof to deliver a jet of gas therein and in so doing to draw in sufiicient of the surrounding air to form a white flame in combustion.

6 is a needle'valve for the jet-nozzle 5, and 7 is any suitable packing-box for the valvestem.

8 is a pipe leading from the equalizingchamber 9 to the nozzle 5.

10 is the main retort, connected at one end with the gasolene-supply pipe 11 and provided with a valve 12, and at the other end it is connected with the equalizing-chamber 9, there being any suitable pipe-couplings 12 for connecting the parts.

13 represents the pilot-burner tube projecting into one of the main burner-tubes 2 and communicating with the submixing-chamber 14.

15 is a jet-nozzle provided witha needle-' valve 16 and packing-box 17; and it is directed into the submixing-chamber 14. This chamberdelivers into the subgas-chamber 18, which is located below the equaliziugchamber 9. This chamber 18 is covered with burner gauze 19 and above that with a cap of thin metal 20, through which are a number of holes 21, located around the base of the equalizing-chamber to serve as burners for the subflame.

22 is a subretort located around the equalizingchamber directly over the subflameburners and communicating between agasolene-supply pipe 23 and the subnozzle 15.

The two supply-pipes 11 and 23 of any num' ber of lamps may be united or be connected with a common supply-pipe 24:, which may be connected with the main supply-tank 25; but I interpose a small auxiliary supply-tank 26 in the line of communication to serve the system of lamps for a short time if it should become necessary to shut off the main tank from the system either to refill the tank or'for any other purpose. This auxiliary tank is provided with a pipe 27, which runs centrally through it to be connected at one end with the main-line pipe 24 at any convenient locality in the system and provided at the other end with any usual means for connecting it with an air-pump, such as the nipple 28, and with a valve 29 and packing-box 30. The pipe 27 has two holes 31 and 32 in its side,

the hole 31 being located near the bottom of the tank 26 and the hole 32 at the center thereof vertically. The hole 31 is to admit oil to the tank 26 from the pipe system, and the hole 32 is to admit air under pressure on top of the oil.

33 represents a hanger-rod for supporting a glass globe. Y

The operation is as follows: Gasolene is supplied to the main tank 25, and the required amount of pressure is given by injecting air through valves 34 35. This will press gasolene up through hole 31 in pipe 27 into the auxiliary tank 26. Then air-pressure should be applied to tank 26 through its inlet 28 and the valve 29 be afterward closed. Now if valve 16 be opened the gasolene from the system of piping will be driven through the mixing-cham ber 14 into the subchamber 18, where its vapor rising through the gauze screen 19 and holes 20 may be lighted with a match.

After a moments burning the subfiame will have heated the subretort 22 so hot as to form gas, which will then be supplied with. air to the mixing-chamber and thence to the subgas-chamber 18 and its burners 20, greatly increasing the intensity of the heat, which rising around the body of the lamp and around both retorts and. both mixing-chambers will quickly heat these parts enough to generate gas for the main lights. Then light the pilotburner 13, and the lamp is ready for service. Now open valve 12, and gasolene will be admitted into the retort 10, which being heated passes it along expanded as gas into the equalizing-chamber 9. Now if valve 6 be gradu-. ally turned open gas will be injected to the main mixing-chamber 4, drawing in air with it, and will thence be delivered into the main gas-chamber 3 and to the burners 2, one of which will be lighted by the pilot-light located within and the other will be lightedtacross from the outflowing gas. Now if valve 12 be closed the supply of gasolene is stopped and the main lights go out; butthe pilot-light continues to burn, also the subflame, keeping the lamp hot and ready to relight itself whenever the gasolene is turned on again to the main lights.

The retorts are necessarily made of thin metal in order that they may readily transmit to their interiors sufiicient heat to vaporize the gasolene and expand it into volatile gas. Consequently they are afiected to some extent by drafts of cold air, causing the pressure of gas supplied to the burners to vary and the flame to flicker. To obviate this, the equalizing-chamber 9 is provided and made of much thicker metal, which when once heated will not be cooled through by sudden cold drafts. It therefore holds the gas at an even heat and pressure and maintains a steady flame. The subburners around the equalizing-chamber insure its being always hot when in full service or in waiting service. The greater part of the breakage of globes and mantles is caused by generating and lighting up, and this subflame dispenses with a large portion of that, thus tending to economy. The auxiliary gasolene-tank renders the whole system continually serviceable, without any intermission for refilling the tank or from any other cause which may temporarily interrupt the pressure therefrom.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. In hydrocarbon lighting systems,alampbody comprising a main chamber and an equalizing-chamber having thick walls; the main chamber terminating upward in one or more openings for burners, and a burner for each opening; a mixing-chamber communicating with the main chamber; a retort connected at one end with a supply-pipe and at the other end with the equalizing-chamber and located for a portion of its length in position to be heated by the above-named burners, and a pipe communicating with the equalizing-chamber and provided with a nozzle opposite to and directed into the open end of the said mixing-chamber.

2. In hydrocarbon lighting systems, a supply-tank; lamps; a main supply-pipe communicating between the tank and lamps; an auxiliary'supply-tank provided with a pipe which runs through it and is connected at one end with the main supply-pipe and is provided at the other end with means for admitting compressed air, and has two holes in its side, one of these holes communicating with the auxiliary supply-tank near its bottom and the other near its center, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I'affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT D. CODY.

Witnesses:

J. E. BLAKE, I. J. WORK. 

